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Axis Mundi
History The history of the Prime Plane, the Great Locus, is shrouded in mystery, known only to the gods, and they speak in riddles when asked about it. So many civilizations have risen and fallen on the Axis that history has failed to track them. There are vague hints - ancient statues, surviving manuscripts, but none of them come close to telling the whole epic tale. In truth, the Axis is older than the gods, and they speak in riddles about it because even they don't know. It was the first thing to come into creation, and if there is a god responsible for it, they have long since vanished. What the gods do know, is the incredible power that is held by the Great Mountain. Every species has myths about it, even the ones that have not visited the plane - it is known through spiritual revelation - whether it is called Olympus or Sinai or anything that is called by the various races of the many planes, the image of a holy mountain is universal. ' ' the first recorded race that existed on the Axis is the gods themselves. They were drawn by it's intense power. They learned of it main attribute - the unceasing mana that pours from it. This mana is massively amplified by combat - fighting on the mountain causes huge bursts of mana to pulse throughout the omniverse, empowering the mages of every plane. The mountain was settled by the gods, who built great palatial towers. This is Year Zero of the Great Calendar. They basked in the natural mana of the Mountain for centuries. In year 1202 GC, Two gods, Shutra and Evendian, battled on the plane, trying to claim it for themselves. They fought on the peak of the great mount, and killed each other. The battle destroyed the mountain, and decimated the whole plane. However, the battle led to a burst of mana unlike anything that had ever been seen before. The gods were empowered, especially Vednia, the wife of Shutra. She led the other gods in a search for mages. They collected the greatest mages from amongst the planes, and brought them to Axis Mundi. This led to the creation of the Order of Maccus in 1240 GC, the first true Magi of the Axis. These magi recreated the world as the gods remembered it, pulling the mountain back into being. They built the Locus Gate, a conflux that eases travel between planes. In conjunction with this, they created the first Locus Key, which allowed mages to easily access the Locus Gate and its powers. ' ' Yara and Oris, the Children or Shutra and Vednia, led the Order of Maccus for centuries. They helped in the development of the Rite of Binding. They were the ones who realized that the power released by the combat of Shutra and Evendian was replicable - combat on the plane would always result in such release of power. To this end, in the year 1444, the Order of Maccus created a group called the Axis Magi. the Magi went through the planes collecting monsters to do battle on the mountain to empower the gods. The more powerful the gods were, the more bounty they could empart to all the planes that they were connected to. ' ' This led the Magi to the Golden Age, starting in 2002 GC, which is still faintly recalled in myth. Centuries of plenty, the creation of many races, and constant plenty marked this age, and things were great all around. Like all good things, though, this didn't last. A great Magus, Nehem, realized that monsters didn't have to be willing to fight in the Arena. They could be enslaved. At first, the gods didn't object - the massive influx of power brought in by the enslaving of monsters brought them intense power. This resulted in the Black Age, beginning in 2902. This was a time when the gods were slowly corrupted by the power they feasted on - for thought the power granted by enslaved monsters was great, it came at an equally great cost. The gods were tarnished by Nehem's ways - they became bitter and evil, enslaving people and forcing them to their will. ' ' It was Theus who realized the folly of their ways. He examined the arcane power pulsing through them, and saw the seeds of maleficence within it. He realized that all their actions had been corrupted by the evils of Nehem for an age. He revealed the influence that this was having on the gods, and they rejected Nehem. In 2666, he was to be executed, but he fled to a Null Plane, and could not be found, even by the gods. None know what happened to him. ' ' So the Axis was returned to the status quo. The Axis Magi were all rejected by the gods, and most of them fled, forming the Sect of Nehem. The Sect lives on, hiding in Null Planes and in places where the God's power is weak. However, the Axis began to flourish again, and prosperity returned. This led to the Silver Age. The Silver Age was marked by expansion. Previously, the Axis Magi had drawn their ranks from mostly the Prime Planes - they extended their search to all planes connected to the Axis, and found more powerful magi than had ever been seen. Runic magic was discovered in this age, but the gods started to retreat. They realized that the power magi had over them was too great, and by removing themselves somewhat, they could examine the effects that the mortals had on them. The silver age continued for thousands of years, and things were overall pretty good. The Axis grew, and as a result, magic coursed into the worlds, resulting in more powerful mages, resulting in a more powerful Axis. This is one of the longest ages, and the one that is known the least about, for many nations moved into the Locus during this time. Locus Gate grew into an unbelievably massive city, and the Arena became known throughout almost all worlds. The Silver age ended in 5012 GC with the War for the Axis. This war was between all mages - even the Sect of Nehem made a reappearance. The gods didn't stop it, for the release of mana created by this conflict is the greatest in all known history. They fought for a hundred years, and in 5112, a truce was declared, The Silver Treaty signed by all groups but the Sect of Nehem, which again faded into darkness. The end of the war created the modern era, which has lasted until 1121, the year our story begins with the entrance of Calamity.